Every two years, the CDC teams up with the Association for Public Health Laboratories (APHL) to offer a 2 1/2 day conference for laboratory state training coordinators. This is a great chance to network with other training coordinators and hear some great new ideas through presentations. We even had a chance to tour the CDC museum.
This is me with two of my training coordinator friends, Cindy from Massachusetts and Renee from Louisiana.
So as I was traveling to Atlanta for this awesome conference, I was reading my textbook about how to get more out of attending in-person conferences. Perfect timing! My favorite points from this reading included the following:
- The value of shifting power from the speaker to the audience,
- Coining a hashtag for twitter real-time updates, and
- Following up after the event using different tools including publishing an e-book or a tweetbook and live text or video blogging.
- Because I didn't organize this meeting, I didn't have much influence to transfer power from the speaker to the audience, but I did have the power to ask questions after presentations. If something struck me, then I would make a note and prepare to ask the question when appropriate. It was a great way for me to take ownership of attending these meetings.
- I searched a few hashtags before the conference began and realized that there would not be a designated hashtag for this event. BUT, I did tweet a few key points with the class hashtag #techhrd. This pushed me to review my notes and really reflect on my learning throughout the day.
- Since my conference continues through tomorrow, I haven't had the chance to follow-up, but I have been typing notes during each presentation. Yes, I am one of those nerdy attendees glued to my Surface Pro. But I was paying attention most of the time. My point is, it wouldn't be too difficult to convert those notes into something useful for other attendees. In a subsequent blog (possibly on my flight home), I plan to share some of my notes and my impressions. It won't capture everything, but it will be beneficial for me to continue my reflection at the conclusion of the conference.
Regarding the power of following up the presentations and asking questions: I think this can serve several purposes for your PLN. First, as you mentioned, it's a way for you to take ownership of the meeting. Second, you can, obviously, get your question answered. But third, and maybe even more important, you can use this opportunity to connect with someone else in your field and add them to your network. As a presenter, I am always *thrilled* when someone wants to engage me in a discussion about the topic of my presentation and we inevitability extend the discussion beyond the content of the presentation, and beyond the physical location of the conference. I have had several cases of doing some research or other collaborative work with people who have taken the time to ask me questions, or who have been gracious enough to answer my questions!
ReplyDeleteThe timing was great (but maybe a little short timelined) for you to apply to this conference. Knowing what you now know, is there anything else or different that you might you do for your next conference?
I agree that it is really neat to see the conversations from conferences extend beyond the meetings. And Twitter provides a great medium to do so in a simple way.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see value in having a meeting hashtag and may consider bringing that up to conference organizers prior to my next conference. Reading the thoughts and impressions of other attendees can add another beneficial dimension to a meeting.